A drug with immense abuse potential, methamphetamine (known on the street as "speed," "meth," "crank," "crystal-meth," and "glass") is a central nervous system stimulant of the amphetamine family. Like cocaine, it is a powerful "upper" that produces alertness, and elation, along with a variety of adverse reactions. The effects of methamphetamine, however, are much longer lasting then the effects of cocaine, yet the cost is much the same. For that reason, methamphetamine is sometimes called the "poor man's cocaine."

As with many drugs, methamphetamine, if prescribed by a physician, is legally available in the United States for the treatment of attention deficit disorders and obesity. Unfortunately, much of the methamphetamine available on the street is illicit methamphetamine from clandestine laboratories in the United States.

Production originally concentrated in clandestine labs throughout the Western and Southwestern United States, but has spread to the Central United States and beyond. In addition to the clandestine laboratories in the United States, organized crime groups in Mexico appear responsible for increased methamphetamine production on both sides of the border during the 1990's.

Is there Methamphetamine in
Kansas?

Law enforcement and substance abuse centers in Kansas have observed an increase in the prevalence of methamphetamine. The Kansas Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services reported an increase of 359% in methamphetamine primary problem admissions from Fiscal Year 1994 to Fiscal Year 1997. The Kansas Highway Patrol reported Interdiction Unit seizures for methamphetamine increasing from 1994 to 1997 ' Clandestine laboratory seizures reported to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Drug

Enforcement Agency in Kansas have also increased over the same period, as can be seen in the chart below. These seizures reflect reported occurrences throughout the State of Kansas, not just the metropolitan areas.

What is a
CLANDESTINE LABORATORY?

A clandestine laboratory is a laboratory used for the primary purpose of illicitly (illegally) manufacturing controlled substances, such as cocaine and methamphetamine. Clandestine labs are typically small, utilizing common household appliances, glassware, and readily available chemicals. While some clandestine laboratories may be located in industrial areas, they are most frequently located in residential areas.

There are many different methods for producing methamphetamine. Each method has its own inherent dangers. Many of the chemicals used are caustic or corrosive, and some of the processes create noxious and harmful fumes.

Additionally, many of the chemicals can be found in common household items such as lantern fuel, cleaners, acetone, muriatic acid, and diet pills.

What are the
DANGERS?

Clandestine laboratories present numerous hazards to people and the environment. Extreme potential for fires, explosions, and exposure to hazardous chemicals and fumes are but a few. Additionally, clandestine labs are considered hazardous waste sites and should only be entered by trained and equipped professionals. Anyone finding a clandestine laboratory should leave it alone and immediately contact local law enforcement or the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-KS CRIME

Methamphetamine can be ingested, inhaled, or injected. It is sold as a powder or in small chunks which resemble rock candy. It can be mixed with water for injection or sprinkled on tobacco or marijuana and smoked. Chunks of clear, high-purity methamphetamine ("ice," "crystal," "glass") are smoked in a small pipe, much as "crack" cocaine is smoked. Since methamphetamine will vaporize rapidly, some heat the drug and inhale the fumes that are released.

Some of the symptoms of methamphetamine use are:

• Sleeplessness
• Loss of appetite and weight loss
• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
• Elevated body temperature
• Skin ulceration and infection, the result of picking at imaginary bugs
• Paranoia
• Depression
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Increased blood pressure
• Seizures
• For pregnant women - premature labor, detachment of the placenta, and low birth weight babies with possible neurological damage.
• For intravenous (I V) users - AIDS, hepatitis, infections and sores at the injection site, and infection of the heart lining and valves.

Methamphetamine is generally cheaper than cocaine and - because the body metabolizes it more slowly - much longer lasting. Methamphetamine's effects may last as much as ten times longer than a cocaine user's high. With its long-lasting effects, methamphetamine binges may last up to a week, while cocaine binges rarely continue for more than 72 hours. When heavy cocaine users experience paranoia, it almost always disappears once the binge ends. For methamphetamine users, however, severe disturbance of mood and thought may be sustained well beyond the binge. Not infrequently, they persist for days, sometimes weeks. Similarly, the methamphetamine crash is more prolonged, and drug-related depression that users may experience upon awakening can be more severe than any experienced by cocaine users.

What is
HIDTA?

In December 1996, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Executive Office of the President of the United States, designated identified counties in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota as the Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). The designation including Kansas resulted from Kansas seeing an explosion in the clandestine manufacturing of methamphetamine by small entrepreneurial users/dealers, primarily utilizing the ephedrine or pseudoephedrine reduction process. Additionally, with the interstate highway system and air/rail hub infrastructure, organizations utilize the Central United States for importation and distribution.

HIDTA is a consortium of law enforcement, prosecution, forensic laboratory and demand reduction professionals who are combining resources and expertise to combat the increase in methamphetamine trafficking and production.

HIDTA was established to promote investigator safety, reduce duplicative efforts, and increase coordination, cooperation, and technological advancement. The mission of the Midwest HIDTA is to reduce and disrupt the importation, distribution, and clandestine manufacture of methamphetamine in the five state region.